Canopy and construction pertaining thereto



Oct. 18, 1938. P. cRosLEY, JR

CANOPY AND CONSTRUCTION PERTAINING THERETO Filed July 23, 1935 ATTORNEYQSe Patented Oct. 18, 1938 U N l T ED ST AT ES CANOPY A-ND CONSTRUCTIGN.- PERI'I'AIlSIINGrA THERETO PoWelCrosley, Jr.,

The Crosley Radio Cincinnati, Ohio, assigner to Corporation, Cincinnati,

Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application July 23,

4 Claims.

For a. clear understanding of an exemplary use for the invention described herein, reference is made to my co-pending applications Ser. No. 714,687, filed March 8, 1934; Ser. No. 715,077, filed March 12, 1934; and Ser. No. 716,488, filed March 20, 1934. In the saidv co-pending cases I have described a device for cooling and conditioning air in a restricted space for immediate occupancy whereby the comfort. and health of the user may be served without the provision of complicated' and costly apparatus and the utilization of great amounts of power. In-the exemplary embodiments of my device therein described I have` shown the combination of a canopy over a bed to define an area of immediate personal occupancy together with electrical and mechanical means for conditioning and cooling the air within the said canopy. In these embodiments the electrical and mechanical equipment or at least the greater part of it is contained in an ornamental cabinet, stand'or housing member adapted to be placed alongside of a bed. The cabinet has an arm or arms extending upwardly and outwardly over the bed, to which arm or arms ther canopy is attached and by which it is supported. The lower edges of the canopy are free and are tucked in around the edges oi the bed e. g. around the mattress. Thus a closed space is provided. It has been found most convenient and effective to provide a canopy of the general style of the familiar A tent, in which, however, the ridge is preferably of less length than the length oi the lower part of the canopy, both for convenience in supporting the device and also to restrict the space to be cooled and conditioned to the minimum.

If the walls of such canopies, however, are sloping it is advisable to provide means for keeping these walls distended so that they will not lie upon or touch the face or body of the occupant of the bed. Again there is the problem of providing access to the canopy for the occupant preferably without the necessity of pulling the lower edges of the canopy out from the mattress, entering the bed from beneath them, and then tucking them in around the mattress from the inside of the bed. Finally there is the problem of providing air exchange and controlling the temperature. As has been set forth in my co-pending cases, if the canopy is made of proper materials there will be suicient passage of external air into and out of the canopy through the fabric thereof to maintatin adequate oxygen content and to avoid the feeling oi stuiness inside the canopy. However, a greater than normal infiltrationv of air 1935, Serial' No. 32,738 (C1.` 13s- 5.2)

may frequently be desirable particularly if the temperature of the conditioned air Within the canopy tends to become too low.

My present invention, as addressed to the structures to which I have referred', pertains to the canopy construction and to the supportingmeans therefor. The general objects of my invention concern themselves with` a solution of the problemsA to which I have referred, and these and other objects of my invention will be apparent to one skilled in the art upon reading these specications wherein I have described an exemplary embodiment of my preferredV construction and arrangement of parts whereby these objects are attained. Reference is now made to the drawing wherein:-

Fig. l is a side elevation of my completed apparatus.

Fig'. 2 is a plan view of anaccess and control opening.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the completed canopy frame structure.

Fig. 4 is an elevational view of anend frame member.

In Fig. 1 I have shownl a bed Iv having a mattress 2 resting upon the usual spring construction. At 3v I have shown the cabinet of one of my air conditioning and cooling devices. This will not be described in detail since reference to my copending applications is deemed sufcient to apprize the skilled worker of the construction thereoi". Moreover, the nature ci the mechanism Within the cabinet 3 is not a necessary limitation upon my present invention. Briefly sta-ted; the cabinet 3 will contain a complete refrigerating mechanism of which the high pressure side is located in a compartment sealed from a compartment in which the low pressure or evaporator side is lo-j cated'. Air for cooling the condenser is drawn in from: the room at large and exhausted to the room at large; The low pressure compartment is sealed from the room at largeand air from the canopy may be drawn thereinto through an opening 4, passed through the interstices of an evaporator and caused to re-enter the canopy through an opening 5. Preferably the opening 5 will be provided with: a discharge device-adapted to be movedi or adjusted toA control the direction of air delivery. About these twoopenings I= provide a frame of'channel shape indicated at 6 to-which the canopymay be fastened in Ways taught in my l (so-pendingA cases. The canopy, of course, has an openingv coextensive with the frame. The frame 6 also serves to support a pair of angular arms 'I` and 8` which extend upwardly for a distance suiicient to clear the canopy, and then extend angularly outwardly, upwardly and divergently as shown, so that the ends of these arms are comparatively widely interspaced and lie substantially over the center line of the bed. It is to these arms that the canopy 9 is hung.

I have indicated hereinabovethat the canopy 9 is preferably in theshape of a tent having sloping side and end walls; but as aforesaid, it is desirable to keep the side walls distended so that instead of falling from the ridge to the edges of the bed in substantially a single plane, they fall outwardly at a greater angle for a substantial distance and then fall downwardly to meet the edges of the bed in as nearly a vertical plane as is practicable. It will be clear, of course, that beds vary in size and shape and it is not ordinarily necessary with my construction to provide varying types of canopy for varying sizes of bed. Consequently, the planes to which I have referred above are approximate in nature.

As a framework for my canopy I prefer to provide the means illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4. Here I have shown end fittings which may be made of cast metal and which have a leg I0 adapted to be horizontally disposed and two other legs I I and I2 at the end of the leg I0, disposed at angles of substantially degrees thereto but preferably disposed as respects each other at an angle of less than degrees. These legs are perforated for the reception of arms providing frame members for the canopy and the perforations may be threaded or not as desired.

The end members also have an upstanding leg I3 at the other end of the leg I0. This leg I3 is also perforated and is adapted to receive a hook member I4 by which the canopy frame may be hung to the ends of the arms 1 and 8 which are perforated for the purpose shown. l

A ridge for the tent may be formed by a single rod entering the perforations in the'leg I0 of two of the end fitting members; but I prefer to make the ridge of my canopy adjustable and tothis end I have shown the ridge in Fig. 3 formed of a pair of rods I5 and I6 each attached to a leg I6 of one of the end fittings, and fastened together in such a way as to be longitudinally adjustable. One such way is illustrated in Fig. 3 as comprising a sleeve I'I through which both of the rods I5 and I6 pass and which grips these rods frictionally, so that while longitudinal adjustment may be made the rods will be adequately held in adjusted position.

The legs II and I2 of the end fittings receive in their perforations side rods I8 and I9, 20 and 2|. The ends of these rods may be curled as at 22 or rounded or otherwise provided with means minimizing wear on the canopy. The various rods may likewise be of resilient metal. It is not necessary and in some cases it is not particularly material but it is of advantage in many instances so to form the rods I8 and 2I. This gives to the canopy a measure of self adjustment to meet varying conditions.

The manner of use of the frame structure in cooperation with the arms I and 8, and the conditioning apparatus 3 by which they are supported, will be clear from an examination of Fig. 1. Two rods I5 and I6 form a ridge pole for supporting the vridge of the canopy throughout its length. "Ihe armsV I8, I9, 20 and 2| distend the sides of the canopy so that there is an angular displacement between more or less planar portions marked 23 and 24 of each side wall. Both the frame and the canopy are supported from the arms 1 and 8 by the engagement of the hooks I4 with the ends of the said arms. It will be clear, of course, that any manner of engagement of the ends of the arms with the corner fittings of my canopy frame fall within the scope of my invention.

Reference to Figs, 1 and 2 may be made for the construction of an access and control arrangement which I employ in connection with my canopy. A side of mycanopy is provided with a triangular opening indicated at 25. The edges of this opening may be reinforced if desired by frame members in a way which will readily be understood by one skilled in the art although ordinarily I have not found this necessary or advisable. I have found it preferable so to locate the triangular opening that the base of the triangle is upwardly disposed. Adjacent the downwardly extending sides of the triangle I sew triangular shaped flaps 26 and 21 which are adapted to be disposed either to cover or to uncover the opening in the canopy. To this end the unattached corner of each flap is provided with some fastening means, either a buttonhole 28 as shown, or a button, or one of the parts of a separable fastener. Corresponding fastening portions 29 and 30 are located on the Wall of the canopy adjacent an edge of the perforation 25 therein, so that the flaps may be held in closed position as illustrated in Fig. 1. Other cooperating fastener portions 3| and 32 may be located on the wall of the canopy so that the flaps may be fastened in opened position. 'I'he flap 26 is shown fastened in opened position in Fig. 2.

I have found it necessary to provide but one such access opening in my canopy although more may be provided, if desired, in the same or in different wall portions. This opening not only provides ready access to the canopy without disturbing the relationship of the canopy to the both of the flaps may be of the structure. It will be noted that preferably the opening is disposed considerably above the level of the top of the mattress and also that the lowermost part of the opening has the least effective area. Thus, since cooled air is relatively heavier than warm air one or both of the flaps may be left open for greater air infiltration While maintaining a body of cooled air adjacent the mattress and the coverings thereon. In this way the effect of conditioned air may be obtained without the full lowering of temperature within the cabinet of which the apparatus is capable under any given conditions.

Again one or both of the flaps 26 or 21 may be made of a material differing from the material of the canopy as by being more Apermeable to air. One or both ofthe flaps may thus be made of netting. Again it is possible to provide a plurality of flaps in place of each of the flaps 26 and 27. Thus each pair of. flaps may comprise one of netting and one of heavier material comparable to the material of the canopy, or more or less air pervious. One such supplementary flap has been shown in Fig. 2 at 26a. l

Modifications may be made in my invention without departing from the spirit thereof.

Having thus described my invention,` what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, iszf 1. In a canopy support, a structure, comprising a ridge support, and resilient, angularly disleft open during the use posed arms attached thereto at either end, said structure adapted to be located Within a canopy, and means for attaching said structure to external supporting means.

2. A supporting means comprising a ridge support adjustable as to length, arms attached thereto at either end and angularly disposed therefrom, said structure adapted to be located Within a canopy and means for attaching said structure to supporting means external to said canopy.

3. In combination in a canopy supporting structure, end ttings comprising members having a plurality of angularly related legs, each of 5 said legs adapted to receive and hold a rod, rods attached to said legs providing a ridge supporting structure, other arms angularly related thereto, and means for attaching one of said legs to external supporting means.

4. In combination in a canopy supporting structure, end fittings comprising members having a plurality of angularly related legs, each of said legs adapted to receive and hold a rod, rods attached to said legs providing a ridge supporting structure, other arms angularly related thereto, and means for attaching one of said legs to external supporting means, said ridge supporting structure comprising a pair of rods each of less length than the ridge of said canopy, and means for adjustably holding Vsaid rods in lapping position.

POWEL CROSLEY, Jn. 

